Funding dips may hurt TZ corridor transit plans

SUFFERN — A gloomy picture was painted Friday of the prospects for securing state or federal funding for new transit services in the Tappan Zee corridor.

Judy Rife

SUFFERN — A gloomy picture was painted Friday of the prospects for securing state or federal funding for new transit services in the Tappan Zee corridor.

Representatives of the state Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration told the Tappan Zee Transit Task Force that the demand for money has been outstripping the supply and is likely to continue to do so.

In practice, this means that the competition for discretionary funding programs is greater than ever and that formula aid programs — largely supported by gasoline taxes that haven't been raised in decades, have less to distribute.

At the same time, the emphasis has shifted away from new or expanded transit services to maintaining existing services in a state of good repair.

And the time from application to award for competitive federal programs is still seven to 12 years, despite ongoing efforts to streamline the process.

Other sources of revenue for existing transit services include dedicated state taxes, such as the dozen-plus levies that benefit the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, local government subsidies and fares.

Veronica Vanterpool, executive director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, advocated that the task force carry on regardless and take the same can't-afford-it-but-need-it approach to transit that the state took with the new bridge.

"You should plow ahead with what you think is the best (transit) solution, even if there's no guarantee you'll get the funding you need," agreed Bill Wheeler, director of planning at the MTA.

The task force has until the year's end to draft short-, mid- and long-term recommendations for new transit services in the corridor, along with suggestions about how to fund them.